5 easy ways to get involved

You're tired of status quo. You feel like your opinion doesn't count. You don't have a lot of time. You have no desire to become a politician. What can you do? What should you do? Here are a few suggestions to get involved and make your voice heard.

Feel free to add your own suggestions!

1) Run for precinct delegate. Precinct delegates choose the candidates for Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State for their respective parties. There are many open positions, which means as long as someone else doesn’t run against you, you get the job. Easy-peasy.
Fill out the application below and get it notarized. (Ask around your workplace as there may be a notary public on-site.) Mail the notarized form to your City Clerk. Your name will appear on the ballot in the 2010 primaries. If you get elected *bam* your vote is one of thousands instead of one of millions in deciding the outcome of these statewide positions.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Aff-ID_Precnt_139901_7.pdf

2) Apply for open positions on local boards and committees. On the a2gov.org website, you can search for open positions on local boards and committees. Click on the link below to find open positions in Ann Arbor. There are currently seven positions open.
http://a2gov.legistar.com/DepartmentDetail.aspx?ID=4184&GUID=71AFF2BB-3AB8-48E7-ADC6-C07CBD528E5D&Search

3) Apply for open positions on county boards and committees. There are a number of county positions currently open. The Board of Commissioners will be voting on the current applicants on December 2nd, so many of these will be filled, but check the site often as people may resign leaving you the opportunity to step in.
Some of the positions have requirements that must be met, such as the Local Emergency Planning Committee, which requires someone in the Agricultural industry for one of its open positions.
http://secure.ewashtenaw.org/bocdob/vacant.do

4) Use the power of the pen (or keyboard, as the case may be.) Write your representatives. Write letters to the editor. Submit articles to websites and newspapers. Comment on articles using your real name. It’s easy to hide behind a screen name, but using your real name is a way to validate your opinions with other readers.
Don’t just write to the people in charge; writing to party officials or major donors is another way to get to the people that matter. Remember, the higher up you go in the chain, the more likely you’ll get an annoying “form letter” response. Start local and the odds are greater that a decision-maker will read your letter. Phone calls and emails can work too, but writing a letter makes a bigger impact.

5) Attend meetings and network. At every get together, there will always be a few master networkers in attendance. Watch the crowd; you’ll see a few people who appear to know everyone and are making introductions. Introduce yourself and briefly relate your primary interests. Chances are, they may know someone who can do something to help you. If not, they may be able to steer you in the right direction. Never forget, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”